Is Hillary Clinton Electable?

Hillary Rodham Clinton might become the first female President of the USA—formerly being the First Lady, a senator, and the Secretary of State—as she is running as a candidate in the 2016 presidential election. It is important, therefore, to determine if she is a corrupt politician and should hold office as the President of the USA. From her numerous scandals, her acceptance of campaign money from lobbyists and corporations, and her lying to the general public on a regular basis, I believe Hillary Rodham Clinton should not be elected as President of the USA.

If one types “Hillary Clinton scandals” in any search engine on the Internet, one will invariably find countless articles on her decades of scandals–even ones that are happening now, such as the FBI probe into her private email server as Secretary of State and her Clinton Foundation misdealing with finances (McLendon, Inquistr). Though Clinton is yet to be charged with a criminal offense, her countless scandals do not show her in a good light–especially when she is a lawyer and knows how to circumvent the justice system (Calabrese, Eohistory). Some of the most famous scandals she has been involved in are: mishandling the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi in 2011; the fact that she gets paid $275,000 on average for each public speech; the Whitewater scandal, which started as a property business venture and ended up as illegal loans, tax evasion, and even a possible death; and Filegate, which arose in 1996, was an improper access to FBI files that was orchestrated by Hillary Clinton (Gobry, The Week). However, Clinton has not been charged or arrested for any of these scandals, even after decades of being faced with allegations. Yet, not being proven guilty in court is not a final indication of being innocent (especially with high-profile people with big money), such as the OJ Simpson case, where the jury fell for the defense’s tricks and did not follow the highly detailed DNA evidence that was given (Quora).

But if these scandals are not enough to make you dissuaded in voting for her, one should pay attention to the money she takes from lobbyists and corporations to work for their special interests. Democracy Now reports that, “According to a new report by Greenpeace, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the super PAC supporting her have received $138,400 from fossil fuel lobbyists and $1,327,210 from bundlers, totaling more than $4.5 million from lobbyists, bundlers and large donors connected the fossil fuel industry” (Cray, Democracy Now). This is a conflicting message that Mrs. Clinton is giving when she says she wants to work for climate change (Hillary Clinton Campaign, Hillary Clinton). In addition, she has received millions of dollars from various large corporations, with the top corporation, Soros Fund Management, giving her $7,039,900 (Open Secrets). If she is taking this much money from lobbyists and corporations, how can an American citizen trust she will work for the common person, instead of her rich and politicized donors? On the other hand, though, the Clinton Foundation, which Hillary Clinton is actively involved in, gives amply to humanity. “Because of our work, more than 31,000 American schools are providing kids with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity; more than 105,000 farmers in Malawi, Rwanda, and Tanzania are benefiting from climate-smart agronomic training, higher yields, and increased market access; more than 33,500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced annually across the United States…” (Clinton Foundation). However, this same Clinton Foundation has been accused of fraud and is currently under pressure by the US Congress to get to the bottom of their misleading with foreign nations in regard for pay-for-play enterprises (Investor’s Business Daily).

It can be said that Mrs. Clinton is a pathological liar. She lied about being under sniper fire in Bosnia in 1996. Also, according to American Thinker, “Mrs. Clinton lied about a video causing the Benghazi terror attack and is now doubling down, denying she lied to the victims’ families about the video, blaming her fabrication on the “fog of war. There’s is also her emails, which she lied about to Congress and the American people. These aren’t the inconsequential fabrications about whom she was named after, but serious false statements involving loss of American life and compromised U.S. foreign policy and national security” (Joondeph, American Thinker). Lying is not a rare thing for Mrs. Clinton. William Safire of the NY Times wrote in 1996 that Hillary “is a congenital liar.” He discussed her deception beginning in Arkansas and all way to the White House: Travelgate, Whitewater, missing billing records, and lost FBI files, to mention a few cover ups (Joondeph, American Thinker). Even in the 1970s, Mrs. Clinton was fired from her position on the Watergate House Judiciary Committee over “lies and unethical behavior” (Calabrese, Eohistory). Someone who has a track record of lying about such significant and sensitive information should not be elected president. But another way to look at her lying is that by PolitiFact’s numbers, her lying is a little less than most politicians (PolitiFact). However, that is not a reason to dismiss her untruths, as lying in any instance, especially as a public servant, is not responsible or trustworthy. And also, Politifact and other popular websites for showing facts have been discovered to have bias (politifactbias).

Though Hillary Rodham Clinton is a household name, her favorability ratings are lower than ever. Even though she has been the First Lady, the Secretary of State, and a New York state senator, this does not mean she is electable. In fact, she has had a string of scandals attributed to her throughout her political career, she accepts huge sums of money from lobbyists and corporations, and she has lied on record to the American public countless times. Though she may been winning the democratic primary election at this time, we cannot overlook her corrupt and disingenuous behavior, especially when she is being currently investigated by the FBI for her mishandling of classified information on her private email servers and for her Clinton Foundation financial misdealing.

References

Mclendon, Kim. “Hillary Clinton is Under Investigation by the FBI for More than E-Mail: If Elected, Could She Be Impeached?” The Inquisitr News. N.p., 17 May 2016. Web. 17 May 2016.

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